"Not Over You" by Gavin DeGraw

"Not Over You"

Dreams, that's where I have to go

to see your beautiful face, anymore

I stare at a picture of you and listen to the radio

Hope, hope there's a conversation

where we both admit we had it good, but

until then it's alienation, I know, that much is understood

And I realize

If you ask me how I'm doin', I would say I'm doin' just fine

I would lie and say that you're not on my mind

But I go out and I sit down at a table set for two

and finally I'm forced to face the truth

No matter what I say, I'm not over you

Not over you

Damn, damn girl you do it well
And I thought you were innocent

You took this heart and put it through hell

But still, you're magnificent

I- I'm a boomerang, doesn't matter how you throw me

Turn around and I'm back in the game

Even better than the old me

But I'm not even close without you

If you ask me how I'm doin', I would say I'm doin' just fine

I would lie and say that you're not on my mind

But I go out and I sit down at a table set for two

and finally I'm forced to face the truth

No matter what I say, I'm not over you

Not over you

And if I had the chance to renew

You know there isn't a thing I wouldn't do

I could get back on the right track

But only if you'd be convinced

So until then

If you ask me how I'm doin', I would say I'm doin' just fine

I would lie and say that you're not on my mind

But I go out and I sit down at a table set for two

and finally I'm forced to face the truth

No matter what I say, I'm not over you

Not over you

Not over you
Not over you

      Shifting from depressing lyrics to an upbeat tempo in "Not Over You," Gavin DeGraw utilizes a happy mood, far-fetched personification, and vivid imagery to convey a specific tone to show the audience that finally he is forced to face the truth that he is "not over you."

      The happy mood that Gavin DeGraw puts into his song shows that he is trying to get over this one specific girl but can not quite do it just yet. The depressing lyrics but upbeat tempo may confuse the audience because this is a song about him losing a girl and not being able to get over her, but the beat of the song is quirky and fun. Although, I do believe that Gavin DeGraw may have written the song this way to make the song more appealing and catchy.

      The far-fetched personification that Gavin DeGraw throws into the lyrics help indicate that he really can not get over this girl. “You took this heart and put it through hell,” is one example of the personification found in this song. The girl can not literally pull out his heart and put it through hell, it is impossible; Gavin DeGraw got the point across that this girl has hurt him and quite possibly even his heart. Gavin DeGraw sings, “and finally I’m forced to face the truth,”  and in this line, he is personifying the truth. The truth is not a real and living think, therefore he can’t sit there and face it; what Gavin DeGraw means is that he realized that he isn’t yet over this girl.

      The vivid imagery found in “Not Over You” helps depict that Gavin DeGraw is not over this girl. “I stare at a picture of you and listen to the radio,” is a line Gavin DeGraw sings and it very well puts a mental picture in the listener’s head, and they can imagine him staring at a picture of her and listening to the radio. Also, “I sit down at a table set for two,” might give the listener a mental picture of Gavin DeGraw sitting at a restaurant table by himself hoping this girl shows up.

      In conclusion, in “Not Over You,” Gavin DeGraw makes it obvious that he utilizes a happy mood, far-fetched personification, and vivid imagery to convey a specific tone to show the audience that finally he “is forced to face the truth.”

"You And Me" by Lifehouse

“You And Me”

What day is it? And in what month?
This clock never seemed so alive
I can’t keep up and I can’t back down
I’ve been losing so much

‘Cause it’s you and me and all of the people with nothing to do
Nothing to lose
And it’s you and me and all other people
And I don’t know why, I can’t keep my eyes off of you

One of the things that I want to say just aren’t coming out right
I’m tripping on words
You’ve got my head spinning
I don’t know where to go from here

‘Cause it’s you and me and all of the people with nothing to do
Nothing to lose
And it’s you and me and all other people
And I don’t know why, I can’t keep my eyes off of you

There’s something about you now
I can’t quite figure out
Everything she does is beautiful
Everything she does is right

‘Cause it’s you and me and all of the people with nothing to do
Nothing to lose
And it’s you and me and all other people
And I don’t know why, I can’t keep my eyes off of you
And me and all other people with nothing to do
Nothing to prove

And it’s you and me and all other people
And I don’t know why, I can’t keep my eyes off of you
What day is it?
And in what month?
This clock never seemed so alive

            Utilizing a subdued tempo and depressing lyrics in “You And Me,” Lifehouse uses tragic personification, a dreary mood, and a heavy use of hyperboles to convey that he has been “losing so much time.”

            Lifehouse uses tragic personification to portray that he has been in a haze and he unexpectedly comes to the realization that he lost his girl to another man and he is unsure of how this has come about. “What day is it? And in what month?” shows how unaware of the situation he is, and he does not know what to do. Lifehouse uses tragic personification to portray that “this clock never seemed so alive.”

            Lifehouse also uses a dreary mood in this song to indicate how upset he is over the fact that he has to watch the girl he loves being cared for and love by another man. Lifehouse sings, “everything she does is beautiful, everything she does is right” to prove that she is perfect for him and he loves her; he regrets losing this girl and it is apparent in this song.

            The heavy use of hyperboles in “You And Me” displays the love the songwriter has for this girl and he shows it through the exaggeration of his words. He says he’s “tripping on words, you’ve got my head spinning” which is an exaggerated expression. He does this to prove to the reader that she made him crazy in love with her.

            In conclusion, Lifehouse uses tragic personification, dreary mood, and a heavy use of hyperboles to reveal his love for a girl in the song “You And Me.”

Little Green

      Shifting from the point of view of second person to third person in "Little Green," Joni Mitchell utilizes naturalistic imagery, a sorrowful mood, and tragic personification to portray that no matter what one goes through, even if there is happiness in one's life and joyful times, "sometimes there'll be sorrow." This poetic song portrays such things because Joni Mitchell wrote this song to her daughter, who she gave up for adoption due to lack of a father for the baby and lack of income because she was so young.
      Joni Mitchell uses naturalistic imagery, a sorrowful mood, and tragic personifcation to portray the horrific decision that she had to undergo at such a young age. Although the song-writer experienced tough times, she handled the situation extremely well. Her marginally decent decision to give up her baby may have been a brutal decision, but she executed it well.
      Although she turned the tragic and and negative aspects of her decisions and later became quite wealthy and happy with her life, there was always that negative thought of adoption in the back of her mind. Joni Mitchell turned out really happy and satisfied with her life. Also, she finally got the opportunity to meet her daughter, the one she gave up for adoption.